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Turn Mini Pringles Cans into Electronic Drums

If you’re tired of playing virtual drums on an iPad or other device, and need some tactile feedback, snack-sized Pringles cans not only sort of resemble drums, but provide a nice “bounce” when hit by a finger or thumb.

All that’s required, besides washing the lid and canister to remove grease, is the attachment of a piezoelectric sensor to the lid to detect taps. These impulses are then fed to an Arduino Micro, converting everything into a MIDI signal, which can be read by your favorite electronic instrument.

With a bit of luck, you can plug it straight in to a MIDI drum synth and start playing. The four pads transmit kick drum, snare, closed hi-hat and open hi-hat note values according to the General MIDI specification.